Instructions to Build a Cat Condo

You can build a "condo" for your cat quickly and easily. Cat condos that you buy in a store are usually expensive, but with a little bit of creativity, you can have one that your cat can enjoy and play, sleep or hang out in.

  1. Design

    • Create an overall design for your cat condo first, before you begin to cut materials. It is easier to make these from a plan, so come up with one first. Cat condos are typically block-shaped rooms, secured together to make lots of places for your cats to sleep, cuddle and play. Determine how many blocked rooms you want for your condo. A good number to start with is four. Four rooms stacked on top of each other will make a condo that is between five and six feet tall, and this works well for most homes. A cat condo made up of four block rooms on top of each other will be between two to three feet wide.

      You might also decide to have a cat condo that has eight rooms--in two stacks of four. This condo will still be between five and six feet tall, but will be between four and five feet wide.

    Room Size

    • Once you know a number of rooms, or blocks, that you want to have, design the size of these rooms. A good size is a cube that is 1.5 feet tall and 1.5 feet wide. If you often have kittens, or if you have very fat cats, you may want to change the size of your cubes. To make an interesting cat condo, think about having some cubes a larger size, like 2 feet by 2 feet; some cubes a regular size, like 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet; and some cubes smaller, like 1 foot by 1 foot.

    Building the Condo

    • Build cubes out of plywood. First, cut the plywood to the right size. You only need to have five sided cubes, not six, so cut enough wood in the right size for your cubes. For instance, if you are making a basic, three block tall cat condo, with three different sized blocks, you would cut five pieces of plywood that are 2 feet by 2 feet, five pieces of plywood that are 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet, and five pieces of plywood that are 1 foot by 1 foot. After you have cut the plywood, cover both sides of all plywood pieces with carpet. Use a nail gun or heavy duty staple gun to do this. Assemble the cubes with a nail gun. Then, stack one cube on top of the other, in a design that you like. Use a nail gun to attach the cubes securely. A hint is to use a nail gun to attach the cat condo to the wall, so it is secure for your cats to climb in and play in.